From Escorts to Envelopes full of Cash in Casino Restrooms; Louie Lujan Reveals Shocking Corruption at Los Angeles City Hall
March 10, 2020
Former Mayor Louie Lujan of La Puente has been revealing some out-of-this world corruption schemes at Los Angeles City Hall. Just yesterday, allegations read like a Hollywood screenplay, with cash exchanges in casino bathrooms, pricey dinners and tens of thousands of dollars spent on alcohol.
Louie Lujan stated that former Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch Englander today surrendered to federal authorities on charges that he “obstructed an investigation into him accepting cash, female escort services, hotel rooms and expensive meals from a businessman during trips to Las Vegas and Palm Springs, and later lied to the FBI about his conduct,” according to a statement from the FBI.
Talk about Cray!
Anyway, Louie Lujan pointed out that the seven-count indictment was returned by a grand jury on Jan. 16 and not released until yesterday. It alleges that Englander “schemed to cover up his acceptance of cash payments, expensive meals and escort services from a businessman — identified in the indictment as Businessperson A — who operated companies in Los Angeles relating to major development projects and sought to increase his business opportunities in the city.” Businessperson A later cooperated with federal investigators.
Finally, Louie Lujan said that the charges in the indictment stem from an ongoing investigation into corruption at City Hall that includes multiple suspected “pay-to-play” schemes involving multiple city officials, developers, investors, lobbyists and others. In late 2018, FBI officials searched the home and office of Councilman José Huizar, who represents portions of downtown L.A., Boyle Heights and northeast L.A. Huizar has not been charged publicly.
Today, Mr. Lujan directs CIMA Law Group’s government relations department. He works with staff members from various local governments on matters such as planning, zoning and land use. Mr. Lujan graduated from the University of Southern California (USC) with a B.A. in Political Science and a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA). He also holds a Master’s in Secondary Education (M.Ed.) from Loyola Marymount University (LMU).
